Kimora Lee Simmons took to social media to call out her ex-husband, Russell Simmons, over alleged abusive behavior against their daughters, Aoki and Ming.
Russell, the co-founder of Def Jam, and Kimora, a supermodel and founder of Baby Phat, were married between 1998 and 2009. They had two daughters together, Ming and Aoki.
“I’m so sorry to have to do this. But this man has been threatening my kids’ lives. I’m hearing so much more now. We won’t be bullied, threatened or afraid. Who gaf?” Kimora wrote in an Instagram Story post.
“Leave my kids alone. This narrative of attacking the only caregiver, the only parent in the homes with the kids, the mom, AND the kids for one’s own shortcomings and embarrassments is dead. Dead. Dead,” she added. “The same abusive ish. This is how you maneuver with the world and women all around you. Your threats and lies and intimidation maneuvers and tactics are sad. Stop it, please. Your own flesh and blood? Enough is enough.”
“You said Aoki (and Ming) would never work again and that you’d RUIN HER (and them)??! Really? This is how you learn-if ppl don’t mess with you-then they don’t mess with you. No love lost. And for those of you who know and send your love and support-thank you, we love you,” she wrote.
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Kimora took the issue to Instagram a day after Aoki spoke out about her father’s alleged behavior. Aoki shared screen recordings of a FaceTime phone call between her and her father, in which Russell yelled at her through the screen as she was in tears. She also shared several screenshots of text conversations between them.
“Dad, I stopped talking to you because you were giving me panic attacks to the point I was placed on emergency medication every time we spoke. I cannot have a relationship with you until that stops. No one stops me from talking to you; my health does. I have to put that first,” she texted her father.
“Every time I spoke to you, you would yell and scream about a legal situation that I can’t even respond to because I AM NOT INVOLVED; I am your child, not your lawyer, your ex-wife, any of it,” Aoki continued. “I can do nothing. Yet you yell at me like it’s my fault.”
“You were putting so much anger and rage on me every phone call. Cursing, screaming, and god knows what else. I’m sorry, but I cannot be the target of that; it’s not fair,” she continued in the text. “It got to the point I could not hear your voice without having an anxiety attack. You have to at least respect I’m putting my HEALTH and well-being first.”
On Sunday, Kimora and Aoki went on Instagram Live to address the situation. Aoki explained in tears that she defended her father against accusations of sexual assault held against him when she was 15 years old. She said she didn’t know what sexual assault was at that age.
Thirteen women accused Russell Simmons of sexual misconduct. The 2020 HBO Max documentary On the Record covered those allegations. In 2021, he sued Kimora for alleging she and her then-partner, Tim Leissner, had stolen his company shares. Kimora countersued and won last year, according to Rolling Stone.
“No one should live like this. No one’s child. This is abuse. Not ok. The threats. Not ok. The fearmongering. Not ok,” Kimora wrote on Instagram.
“I have always shown up for my dad as a daughter can. I have always been in his corner. I have tried everything I could,” Aoki added.
Russell posted a public apology on Instagram.
“DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling,” he wrote in a post to his daughters. “But know this … there are no conditions … for sure, I love you guys more than I love myself.”
